1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to recording and/or reproducing audio and/or video data using a rewriteable recording medium, and more particularly, to a recording medium for storing still pictures and audio data added thereto for effective processing, and a recording and/or reproducing method and apparatus therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 shows a connection structure for various kinds of information in a moving picture and moving picture data, in recording/reproducing audio and/or video data on a recordable and/or rewriteable recording medium, specifically, a digital versatile disk (DVD), and more precisely, it illustrates the relationship between program chain (PGC) information 11 for treating data logically, moving picture information 12 consisting of video object (VOB) information, and a moving picture data file 13 in which actually compressed audio/video (A/V) data are recorded in VOB units.
First, terms used throughout the specification will now be described. Supposing a movie was recorded in first and second parts, the overall movie is a program chain (PGC) and the first and second parts are programs. Also, each program can be defined by further dividing the same into several cells called sub-units. The information in each cell can wholly or partially define a video object (VOB). In such an event, each cell is used as a basic accessing unit during reproduction, and the program and PGC are only the information for connectivity between a plurality of cells.
Also, since data is actually sub-divided into video object units (VOBUs) and recorded in a moving picture data file, the VOB information consists of various kinds of information relating to the VOBU data, that is, VOBU #1, VOBU #2, . . . and the VOB data in the moving picture data file 13 is accessed by the VOB information. Here, the VOB data is used as a random access unit of a disk recording/reproducing apparatus. The VOBU is based on a single GOP (Group of Pictures) in the case of an MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) video, and audio data corresponding to video data is collected, that is, A/V data is multiplexed into sectors, to constitute a VOBU.
The data format shown in FIG. 1 is concerned with the moving picture, in which the unit of actual data, the VOB, comprises moving picture data for a fixed period of time. Synchronization or encoding of A/V signals is performed in units of VOBs. However, in the case of a still picture, each VOB constitutes a still picture. When a VOB is designated in a cell structure, a cell is necessary for each still picture. Thus, as more still pictures are recorded, more information is added.
Generally, data errors may be generated if data is recorded on a recordable disk a predetermined number of times. Thus, there is a limit in the number of times of rewriting data on a disk. All information is stored in the memory of a controller for controlling the system for the purpose of limiting the number of recording times and rapidly accessing data. However, as described above, in the case of a still picture, if the amount of information is increased, much time is required for reading the information. Also, there is a limit to the amount of information that can be stored in a memory with a limited size. Accordingly, it is not possible to record large-capacity still pictures.
To solve the above problems, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a recording medium for effectively storing still picture group information for separating large-capacity still pictures into a plurality of groups in order to manage the still pictures at a group level.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide a recording medium for generating still picture group information containing video information for a still picture or video information for a still picture having audio data added thereto, and audio data, in the recording order of recorded bitstreams and storing the same.
It is a third object of the present invention to provide a method of recording still picture group information for separating large-capacity still pictures into a plurality of groups in order to manage the still pictures at a group level, and cell information related to reproduction, and for reproducing a still picture according to the recorded information.
It is a fourth object of the present invention to provide a method of recording still picture group information containing video information for a still picture or video information for a still picture having audio data added thereto, and cell information related to reproduction, and reproducing the still picture or the still picture having audio data added thereto according to the recorded information.
It is a fifth object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for recording still picture group information for separating large-capacity still pictures and audio data added thereto into a plurality of groups in order to manage the still pictures at a group level, and reproducing the still picture or both the still picture and the audio data added thereto according to the recorded information.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.
To achieve these objects, there is provided a recording medium including a first region having data for a plurality of still pictures, and a second region having still picture group information for separating the still picture data in the first region into within a predetermined maximum number of groups in order to manage the still pictures at a group level.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method of recording and/or reproducing audio and/or video data on a writeable and/or rewriteable recording medium including the steps of (a) recording a plurality of input still pictures, and (b) separating the plurality of still pictures into within a predetermined maximum number of groups, and recording still picture group information and playback information related to reproduction thereof.
Also, the method according to the present invention may further include the steps of (c) reading still picture group information to be reproduced in accordance with the playback information, and (d) calculating the position of a desired still picture in accordance with the read still picture group information and reproducing the still picture data located at the calculated position.
According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a reproduction method of a recording medium comprising a first region having data for a plurality of still pictures, a second region having still picture group information for separating the still picture data in the first region into within a predetermined maximum number of groups in order to manage the still pictures at a group level, the reproduction method comprising the step of reproducing the still picture data in the first region, based on the still picture group information in the second region.
The apparatus according to the present invention includes a recording processor to signal-process a plurality of still pictures to be recorded in a first region on the recording medium, and a controller to generate still picture group information for separating the still pictures in the first region into within a predetermined maximum number of groups in order to manage the still pictures at a group level and playback information related to a reproduction order of the still pictures to be played back, and to control the generated information to be recorded in a second region of the recording medium.
Also, the apparatus may further include a playback processor for reproducing still picture data in the first region based on the still picture group information.